OXFORD, Miss. – A suspected abduction developed into a incident of international terrorism and intrigue for University of Mississippi students working through an intelligence case study during an orientation session this past week.
The 10 students are the first group to be admitted to UM’s Center for Intelligence and Security Studies program. Orientation for the center involved having them work through a fictional case as a way to become familiar with the analytic process of gathering intelligence information. The case involved the kidnapping of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai’s daughter from the U.S. city where she was enrolled in college. (In actuality, Karzai does not have a daughter who is college age or studying in the United States.)
The idea for “The Day of Intrigue” developed after Melissa Graves, project coordinator for the center, attended an intelligence seminar this summer that included working through several intelligence case studies.
“At the same time, Walter Flaschka (CISS network administrator) was designing a computer case study for ISS students involving complex intelligence analysis software,” she said. “We decided it would be interesting to create a comprehensive case study allowing students to encounter some of the issues that intelligence analysts face when working on assignments.”
The students, who are all juniors and seniors with the exception of one sophomore, quickly dove into the case study and within minutes had created a list of needed information, possible scenarios and people to interview.
“The exercise forced students to apply their knowledge of intelligence in a hands-on way,” Graves said. “It reflected several things that intelligence analysts frequently encounter, including an unstoppable deluge of incoming information that may or may not be relevant, a story that doesn’t necessarily fit together as one might assume and a plot line that requires some serious digging in order for it to emerge.”
One student said the orientation was a creative and useful introduction to the intelligence process, and it showed the students that things are not always what they seem. In fact, the case developed from a suspected kidnapping by a bodyguard to a case that involved international terrorism groups.
“It’s an international world, and working through the case study really demonstrated how important it is to have good intelligence,” said the student, who entered the intelligence field because he wants to serve his country.
Watching students as they take on the duties of an intelligence gatherer is a revealing exercise, Flaschka said.
“It is the most amazing thing to see the students as they step into the role of interviewer. They almost take on a new personality. They become more incisive, more direct, more focused,” he said. “As you listen to them speak and think out loud, it is really fascinating to see the process.”
Led by Carl Jensen, assistant professor of legal studies and former special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the center offers a minor in intelligence and security studies, and it triggered an intensive Arabic language program in the Department of Modern Languages, the only such program in the state. “The ‘Day of Intrigue’ is an example of how the Intelligence and Security Studies minor is a ‘learn-by-doing’ program,” Jensen said. “Our students got to experience a true-to-life scenario similar to those that intelligence professionals face every day. There is simply no better way to educate and prepare our future analysts.”
The Center for Intelligence and Security Studies was created in fall 2008 and moved into a new facility this spring. Selection for the minor is competitive among interested students, based on applications typically submitted in their sophomore year, Jensen said. All applicants who wish to pursue an internship or employment in an intelligence community agency must pass a background check.
Already, more than 100 students have participated in the program by taking an introductory intelligence course, Graves said.
In March, the center selected its first cohort students to complete the minor. The cohort members have an average GPA of 3.69, a score comparable to the average GPA for entrance to the UM School of Medicine. The students come from all areas of the university, including the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Croft Institute for International Studies.
For more information on the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/ciss/ .
